Forces Gather To Push For School Bond Vote

Issue Would Launch Program For Construction

September 6, 2003|By Scott Travis Education Writer

The effort to persuade voters to approve more money for schools kicked off Friday as about 50 school, government and community leaders gathered in West Palm Beach to show their support for approval of a school construction bond issue.

Two political consulting firms, voter polling and big bucks fund-raising are all part of the campaign to get a half-billion-dollar school bond referendum passed March 9. Palm Beach County school district officials are asking voters for $560 million to build new schools, renovate old ones and replace portables with permanent classrooms.

"It's an easy sell," Superintendent Art Johnson told supporters. "There's not a single parent out there who doesn't want their child to have quality classrooms."

Johnson said the district has built new schools on time and under budget, with 35 new or rebuilt schools opening in the last five years. At the same time, he said, students are achieving. This year, two-thirds of the county's schools were rated A or B by the state, and all but one of last year's seven F-rated schools improved.

Johnson, who was elected to the School Board in 1998 before being named superintendent, says he knows how to win, but he's not leaving anything to chance. He's using an Orlando-based consulting firm headed by Dick Batchelor, who organized a successful bond referendum in Orange County, where voters had previously rejected six referendums.

Batchelor said Friday he expects the district will need at least $500,000 in contributions to get the referendum approved. He's setting a goal of $100,000 by Nov. 1. The hefty war chest is needed for advertising and to conduct opinion polls, Batchelor said.

He said the consultants would charge the committee about $8,000 a month.

A group of 12 community leaders will serve as the organizing committee, called Palm Beach County Citizens for Quality Education. The group is registered as a committee of continuing existence, similar to a political action committee.

Committee members include Clarence Anthony, mayor of South Bay; Sandy Greenberg, president of the Coalition of Boynton West Residential Associations; Harold Ostrow, past president of the Voters Coalition; and Fran Reich, founder of the West Boca council.

The chairwoman is Deborah Stenner of Spanish River High School, the county's teacher of the year.

Stenner told those attending Friday's meeting that school construction and student achievement go hand-in-hand. She said there aren't enough classrooms in schools, forcing many teachers to keep their supplies on a cart and move from room to room. Changing classrooms leaves little time for teachers to give extra attention to students after class, she said.

Stenner said she was a "floating teacher" for her first three years at Spanish River.

"Our president and governor have told us to leave no child behind," she said. "Teachers who float leave children behind."

Scott Travis can be reached at stravis@sun-sentinel.com or 561-243-6637.